Gaming Gurus: Strategy Expert Article Archive - Page 679

The Speed Count

Blackjack card counters --- those who truly can get an edge on casino games --- are a rare breed. Most who try can't really keep an accurate enough count to make a difference, or lose concentration in a bustling casino, or don't really have enough bankroll to sustain the inevitable losing sessions. Dr...read more

Why Do People Rub Machines?

Hi, John, No question this time, just a comment. After going to play slots in casinos for some years and never having much luck, I was beginning to think no one ever really wins the highest win on a slot. While on vacation in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, I was in Fallsview Casino playing slots...read more

Being a Professional Gambler

How does one become a professional gambler? The first thing is, you absolutely need to have an adequate bankroll. Just like any other business, gambling can have its ups and downs periodically. An adequate bankroll will help carry a player during one of those expected losing streaks...read more

Slot Answers

As you have probably gathered from reading my columns, I am not a slot player. As a result, I try not to dole out advice on something with which I am not that familiar. Oh yeah, I know how they work, I know what a par sheet is, I know what an RNG is, and so on...read more

Few can afford not to care

Before I Deal: The Biloxi Sun Herald was one of the first newspapers to give this writer his fledgling break and carry Deal Me In. Any writer who syndicates a column will tell you that they forever feel a special kinship to the community where their column first appears...read more

How Does the Payback Percentage Algorithm Affect the RNG?

Dear John, Obviously, a casino should not be required to pay off on a machine that they do not know is malfunctioning. But do you know of any authority for the proposition that a casino would have to pay if they allowed a machine to be played that they knew was defective? Thanks. What kind of malfunction did you have in mind? You see, I don't think this would happen...read more

Roulette Odds

Dear Frank: What would the odds be of hitting the same number in roulette 5 times in a row? This is assuming you could in advance make the bet. I was arguing with my brother. I said it would be 38 times 38 times 38 etc., which are HUGE odds...read more

The Betting Doctor; NFL Teams & Situations--Good Advice, Stats

Reed Hogben is a Canadian physician who bets sports and writes about it well. His new work, The Betting Doctor (119 pages, paperbound, $29.95) covers not only football, but baseball and basketball handicapping, and is a fresh arrival at Gambler's Book Shop (Gambler's Book Club), along with a solid, time-saving favorite from Andy Iskoe, NFL Teams & Situations (141 pages, 8x11 plastic spiralbound, $29.95) which examines six years of pro football results for each team plus the whole league. Hogben, a sports bettor since 1986, discusses betting on pro and college football, pro basketball and major league baseball...read more

Its His Time: Father of Michigan Horse Racing Deserves Recognition

Last week, Great Lakes Downs hosted the "Dowling Stakes," a $50,000 purse thoroughbred race. The race did not receive much coverage. Frankly, I wasn't aware of it until after it ran. However, I got intrigued about the namesake of the race when I learned that Bill Dowling's grandson, Jim Trew, travels each year from his home in Chicago to the event to present a trophy honoring the winner...read more

Trump Picks Up Pace in Competitive Slots Market

No other component of the casino gaming industry undergoes as many changes or as quickly as the slot machine sector. Technological advances and the latest trends have a way of creating premature obsolescence on the casino floors of properties which don't keep up with them, especially in competitive market situations. This business climate is brought on by the manufacturers of slot machines...read more